Welcome!

Welcome to Ms. Costa's 1st grade blog. Here you can find classroom information, links, and more. Please feel free to swing by and leave comments or ask questions at any time.

Here is a little bit of information about our classroom schedule and routines.

LUNCH

Lunch is from 10:22 - 10:52. Please feel free to join your child for lunch at any time. If you would like to dine with us please check in at the front office and wait for our class to meet you outside of the cafeteria. Adult lunch trays are $2.50.

SIGHT WORDS

I am busy working on your child's second sight word check. There is a lot to cover as we begin this school year, so I appreciate everyone's patience as I get this done.

I have a "3 second" rule when I am checking sight words. I point to a word, count to 3 in my head, and if your child is unable to identify the word in that amount of time I mark it as a word to practice. The sight words are meant to be just that, words that you recognize immediately upon sight. Please practice the words your child missed (as marked in agenda) nightly.

AR

The media center is now open for business! If your child has 100 sight words total, give or take a few, he or she will be able to begin AR. AR, or Accelerated Reader, is a program that tests your child's reading comprehension. Please encourage your child to read his or her AR book several times. Reading it aloud helps your child develop fluency, so have them read to you, siblings, stuffed animals, or even your pets!

You can help your child succeed in AR by asking questions about what he or she has read. Who were the characters? What happened first? Ask specific questions about the plot of the story to help your child recall important facts.

STAR

STAR is a computerized test designed to give me a "reading range" for your child. This is a multiple choice test administered on the computer. The results of this test help me decide which AR level your child will begin reading it.

AR LEVELS

AR levels are read as grade.month. For example, if your child is reading at a 1.4 level that is the equivalent of 1st grade, 4th month. Don't be alarmed if your child starts out with a level that is below first grade, such as a 0.8. First grade is a time of great growth in reading. I want your child to read books that are "just right". As your child experiences success in AR, as measured by the number of times they get 100% correct during testing, I will raise his or her level.

Please leave a comment if you have any questions about AR, STAR, or sight word checks. Chances are if you have a question someone else will as well.

Thanks!

Ms. Costa